Skip to content

"to invest (money)" in seven languages

Meaningto invest (money)

Spanish

invertir

/inbeɾˈtiɾ/

other source · Latin INVERTERE 'to turn over' (learned)

It also means 'to invert'; Spanish investir only means to confer a title.

French

investir

/ɛ̃vɛstiʁ/

learned

Italian

investire

/inveˈstire/

learned

Also 'to run over' with a car: è stato investito.

Portuguese

investir

/ĩvesˈtʃih/

learned

Romanian

investi

/invesˈti/

borrowed · French investir

Catalan

invertir

/imbəɾˈti/

other source · Latin INVERTERE 'to turn over'

English

invest

/ɪnˈvɛst/

from Latin/French · Latin INVESTĪRE

English → Italianto invest (money)investireCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

INVESTĪRE‘to clothe, dress in (VESTIS 'garment')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

To invest was first to clothe someone in an office (investiture); the money sense came later. Spanish uses a different verb, invertir, 'to turn over': Invierto en bolsa.

English relatives: investiture, vest, vestment

Learn it

Practice the Work & money deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esInvirtieron todos sus ahorros.
  • frIls ont investi toutes leurs économies.
  • itHanno investito tutti i loro risparmi.
  • ptEles investiram todas as economias.
  • roȘi-au investit toate economiile.
  • caVan invertir tots els seus estalvis.
  • enThey invested all their savings.

More words from the same Latin

More in Work & money

All Work & money words